Furniture is manufactured in a variety of different styles and configurations—many of which are functional, but others of which are primarily decorative. Certain types of furniture such as chairs, tables, desks, bar stools and the like, include a plurality of legs that normally engage a surface in order to support the furniture thereon. Legged articles of furniture such as these are prevalent and manufacturers attract consumers by constructing them in a variety of appealing designs and configurations.
Furniture is generally designed to be a durable commodity such that its owner may enjoy a significant lifetime of use. However, it is often the case—whether due to manufacturing defects, climactic changes, wear and tear or otherwise—that legged articles of furniture in particular can become improperly balanced on their support surfaces. Furniture without legs can also become unstable on a surface. The classic example is a wobbly table that annoys those seated around it and sometimes results in a spilled beverage. The unfortunate results of unstable furniture can range from inadvertent damage to objects placed on the furniture to injuries as a result of, for example, an unstable patron falling off an unstable bar stool.
Also of concern is the need to avoid damage or abrasion to the surfaces on, or against which, objects are placed. For legged objects, such as indoor furniture, the surface is typically carpeting, wooden floors, or tiled floors. For outdoor items, such as patio furniture, the support surface may be concrete, brick, tile, decking, or the like. Regardless of the surface encountered, one runs the risk that manufacturing imperfections may scratch, tear or otherwise damage the surface. Similar damage may occur when the furniture shifts or slides across the surface. This is especially problematic for furniture provided with a protective cap or glide device that subsequently falls off of the furniture exposing sharp edges.
In an effort to alleviate these problems, several types of protective devices have been developed. For furniture which is not ordinarily moved, it is common to place a shim(s) or its equivalent under its base (e.g., under one or more of the support legs) in order to balance the furniture on the support surface. For legged items, glide devices have also been used as a means for stabilizing furniture. For example, iron patio furniture is often equipped at the factory with a glide housing in the form of an inverted metal cup that is welded to the distal end of each support leg. The glides themselves are affixed by radial compression and friction to the interior walls of the inverted metal cups. However, as a result of manufacturing tolerances in the furniture or uneven support surfaces, these glides are not always effective at adequately addressing the aforementioned concerns. Similarly, cast iron patio furniture is often equipped with a rivet like insert that is pressed into a hole cast into the leg or base of the furniture. Again, due to wear and tear and manufacturing tolerances one or more of these inserts can fall out, causing damage to the support surfaces and destabilizing the furniture.
One particular glide device that has been widely used is a cup-like structure formed of a plastic material having an open mouth region received in the confines of the inverted metal cup. The base end of the glide device rests on the support surface when in the mounted state. With this type of construction the glide device tends to assume the orientation of the inverted metal housing. Another problem with this type of glide is the tendency of its sidewalls to fatigue over time. Eventually, the sidewalls become unable to withstand continued compressive loads and crack, perhaps causing further damage. Also, when used on uneven flooring, plastic cup glides can become distorted and grind into and scratch the support surface. Thus, even though the glide may be temporarily protecting the furniture, it is not protecting its environment.
My U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,673 addresses such problems by providing an improved glide device for stabilizing legged articles of furniture, while avoiding unnecessary damage to either the support surface or the furniture. To this end, the protective glide device is situated between the support surface and a foot portion of a legged object. The device incorporates a non-abrasive unitary body that is of sufficient thickness to withstand compressive forces of the legged object against the surface, thereby resisting collapse. The unitary body is mountable to the foot portion and has a lower area operative to contact the support surface and an upper area opposite the lower area that is in facing relationship to the foot portion when mounted. Preferably, a resilient member is interposed between the foot portion and the unitary body and operates to conform to contours on a contact surface of the foot portion to stabilize the support leg. Glide devices utilizing the resilient member have enjoyed much success in the marketplace and have proven to be quite effective at protecting furniture legs and support surfaces. In particular these devices offer stabilization and “self-leveling” characteristics, while additionally providing suitable wear resistance. With the variety of different types of furniture there is, however, an area in need of improvement relating to glide devices.
Attachment of a glide device, in many cases, including those described in my earlier patent, can be accomplished with double sided tape, but a more robust mounting method is via a fastener (typically a screw) that is used separately or in conjunction with adhesive means. Some furniture is provided with a mounting cavity or threaded bore for receiving a screw fastener in its base or legs, while other fasteners are self-tapping. In some instances there is not a threaded fastener but a rivet-like insert pressed into a hole formed in the leg or base. With the untold number of different furniture manufacturers there is an even greater variety in sizes and types of these mounting cavities. Given the variety of mounting cavities it is often difficult to determine and procure the correct size and type of mounting fastener. Described herein is a glide device that can be conveniently mounted to a variety of different sizes and types of mounting cavity.